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Maiden appearance for the Soca Warriors

Trinidad and Tobago consists of a duo of islands in the Caribbean. It has a total population of a little more than 1 million people; and the team and their exuberant fans are about to grace the World Cup for the first time in their history. And whatever the outcome, the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors are guaranteed to entertain…

Trinidad and Tobago World Cup History

Although this is the first time that Trinidad and Tobago has qualified for the World Cup Finals, it is not for want of trying. This is their 11th World Cup campaign since 1966; so far, they have come close to qualifying on two other occasions, in both 1973 and 1989. In 1973 they lost out on qualification in a hotly disputed match against Haiti. In 1989 they fell at the final hurdle, losing 1-0 in a playoff with the USA. Although people might have them tagged as whipping boys in their group, their worst defeat so far in their history was a 7-0 loss to Mexico in 2000, at Aztec stadium in Mexico City.

How They Qualified

The Soca Warriors qualified last out of all the teams in the World Cup. They did so by virtue of qualifying fourth in their CONCACAF group, a task not made easy by the change of manager early in a qualifying campaign, which started badly and resulted in Bertille St. Claire leaving his post as manager and being replaced by the wily old Leo Beenhakker.

Having only picked up one point from their first three games under St. Claire, they then proceeded to win three and lose three games under Beenhakker; this meant they went into their last group game against Mexico needing a historic win, one which was duly delivered by two Stern John goals, helping the Soca Warriors to a 2-1 win that led them into a World Cup playoff against Bahrain. The first leg, played in Port of Spain, started badly as Bahrain took a 1-0 lead deep into the second half. However, the Soca Warriors soon evened the field by equalizing four minutes later, courtesy of a Christopher Birchall goal. They then went on to beat Bahrain 1-0 in the away leg, courtesy of a Dennis Lawrence headed goal, to seal qualification for their first World Cup.

Colorful Fans

Qualification to the World Cup in Germany made a national hero out of Beenhakker in much the same way as it did with Jack Charlton for Ireland in 1990. The Trinidad and Tobago fans, even though the nation is small in terms of population, are nonetheless fervent and loud in their support of their national team, as evidenced by the thousands of fans who took to the rooftops in Port of Spain on the night the Soca Warriors qualified. This being their first World Cup qualification, they are sure to bring a bright, colorful and festive atmosphere to Germany, which will be welcomed by all concerned.

Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Chances

Although oddsmakers have installed this team as 800/1 outsiders for the 2006 World Cup, the Soca Warriors do have a number of talented players, such as Chris Birchall and Dennis Lawrence, as well as some experienced veterans, such as ex-Manchester united player and Champion's League winner, Dwight Yorke, and Stern John of Coventry City FC. They also have in Leo Beenhakker a manager of vast experience and tactical cunning, who will pull every last ounce of potential out of the team. With their natural talent allied to Beenhakker's tactical organization, the Soca Warriors are more than capable of at delivering one shock result in the group stages.

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